Phrase guide

reinvent the wheel

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹiːɪnˌvɛnt ðə ˈ(h)wiːl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To do work unnecessarily when it has already been done satisfactorily by others; to attempt to devise a solution to a problem when a solution already exists.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 做無用功 /做无用功 (zuò wúyònggōng) — do work unnecessarily
  • Chinese Mandarin: 重新發明輪子 /重新发明轮子 (chóngxīn fāmíng lúnzi) — do work unnecessarily
  • Czech: objevit Ameriku — do work unnecessarily
  • Danish: opfinde den dybe tallerken — do work unnecessarily
  • Dutch: het wiel opnieuw uitvinden — do work unnecessarily
  • Finnish: keksiä pyörä uudelleen — do work unnecessarily
  • French: réinventer la roue — do work unnecessarily
  • Galician: reinventar a roda — do work unnecessarily
  • German: das Rad neu erfinden — do work unnecessarily
  • Hungarian: feltalálja a spanyolviaszt — do work unnecessarily
  • Hungarian: feltalálja a meleg vizet — do work unnecessarily
  • Italian: scoprire l'acqua calda — do work unnecessarily
  • Japanese: 車輪の再発明 (sharin-no saihatsumei) — do work unnecessarily
  • Lithuanian: išradinėti dviratį — do work unnecessarily
  • Polish: wynajdywać koło na nowo — do work unnecessarily
  • Polish: na nowo odkryć koło — do work unnecessarily
  • Portuguese: reinventar a roda — do work unnecessarily
  • Portuguese: inventar a roda — do work unnecessarily
  • Romanian: reinventa roata — do work unnecessarily
  • Russian: изобрета́ть велосипе́д (izobretátʹ velosipéd) — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: о̀ткрити то̏плӯ во̀ду — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: откри́вати то̏плӯ во̀ду — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: ѝзмислити то̏плӯ во̀ду — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: изми́шљати то̏плӯ во̀ду — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: òtkriti tȍplū vòdu — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: otkrívati tȍplū vòdu — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: ìzmisliti tȍplū vòdu — do work unnecessarily
  • Serbo-Croatian: izmíšljati tȍplū vòdu — do work unnecessarily
  • Spanish: descubrir el agua tibia — do work unnecessarily